The present invention relates to a steering assembly for a motorcycle.
The steering assembly of a motorcycle typically includes a steering stem that couples a front wheel and the handlebars to the main frame for providing steering inputs to the front wheel of the motorcycle. The steering stem extends through a steering head of the main frame between an upper triple clamp and a lower triple clamp. In particular, the upper triple clamp couples the steering stem, a pair of fork tubes, and handlebars to the steering head. The lower triple clamp couples the steering stem and the front wheel, which is coupled to a pair of fork tubes, to an opposite side of the steering head. The steering stem is a single piece and can only be inserted from one end into the steering head to be supported by upper and lower bearings positioned therein. Thus, one or both of the bearings must be provided with radial clearance to the steering stem to enable assembly. Due to the radial clearance, a high steering joint clamp load is desired to limit slip between the stem and the inner races of the bearings. However, clamp load can only be increased to a certain point before compromising ideal steer damping and handling performance.